Client/Customer Service... you know when it's there and when it's not... well you just hope that you can go elsewhere next
time. Client service is more than just being nice it requires setting expectations, teaching individuals how to EXCEED those
expectations and holding individuals accountable. Many veterinary practices today do a good job with client service... after
all many of us like pets and that is what we see coming through the door everyday BUT, how do you have your practice take
the next step.
To me there are three levels of client service that can be best illustrated through an example- a client picking up a bag
of dog food. (any size) Level One- food is placed next to the client and client is expected to carry it out; Level Two- food
is placed next to the client and client is asked" Do you want some help with that?" – Level Three- food is carried to client's
car- no questions asked. You may make a statement such as "Martha, will bring that out to your car". Extreme client service
is that Level 3 example- it is just done that way!
Setting Expectations
Think of your reputation- why do clients choose you? Better yet, find out more about your clients by breaking them down into
segments- preferably based on lifestyle demographics. For example, does your practice predominate with Double Income No Kids
or Suburbanites with young children? What about empty nesters? Are you and your staff of the lifestyle demographic that you
serve or is there a big difference between the two? What is your practice's history and culture? What do you want it to be?
For example: some practices I walk into give the air of family, others modern, others professional and still others a bit
of country. If I walked into a hospital with marble floors- I wouldn't expect complimentary water to be served from a Dixie
Cup. As a staff activity, take the time to discuss what our client's expectations may be. Review customer surveys from our
practice- what are the areas of strengths- what can we do to make them even greater? What are our area of weakness- what can
we do to make them a strength? Teaching How to Exceed
Extreme client service is a direct result of exceeding the expectations that you set. Extreme client service is going beyond
what you say you will do OR what you have done in the past. Remember, customers determine satisfaction based on two major
factors: 1) did they find value in the experience based on cost (monetary and non) and 2) were expectations met. Consistently
exceeding a client's expectations causes you to have to move the bar slightly higher. So teaching your staff to EXCEED is
required from the start. Give them concrete examples of how to do this. Some common examples- if all pets are scheduled to
go home by 5pm- have all of them ready to go by 4:30pm, if a test result occasionally is done in two days tell the client
that they will know in 3 days so that you can exceed their expectation; offering to call a client back in 10 minutes rather
then to be put on hold and then calling them back in 5minutes. Key to exceeding especially when time is part of the issue
is knowing the average length of time and then adding a buffer to it so that you KNOW that you will always meet the time but
hopefully you can exceed it.
